Lieutenant Colonel William Jess Buchanan, USAF (ret.) “(1926-2005) served as adjunct professor of creative writing at UNM for eight years.”  He is the author of Present Danger: A Novel; The Senator and the Sin Eater; Running Toward the Light; A Shinning Season; One Last Time; and, Diablo: The Devil Steer.

One reader of A shinning Season said, “As a teacher and sports fan, I found myself unable to put this book down. The book recounts the life of John Baker, an elementary teacher and track star, who was stricken with cancer at a young age. His struggle to deal with the disease and continue his career, is an inspiration. In addition, you get to know his family and friends and how he helps them accept his disease. Reading this book will inspire you to not take what you have for granted and live for the moment!”

According to the book description of Running Toward the Light, “At the age of fifteen, George Mendoza lost all of his central vision and 80 percent of his peripheral vision. After months of research, Mendoza's mother learned bright light could sometimes help those with vision problems similar to his. In 1972, hoping to help her son, she moved them both from New York to Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Mendoza was angry and bitter; he was a teenager who faced limitations he had never imagined. Enrolled in the New Mexico School for the Visually Handicapped, he renewed an earlier passion for running track, but his resentment did not leave him.

Shortly after high school graduation, Mendoza heard of the curative powers of El Santuario de Chimayó in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains north of Santa Fe. He hitchhiked to the small village, skeptical of a miracle cure. His vision was not restored, but Mendoza underwent a transformation in the Chimayó chapel. He realized he was not handicapped; he was a person with a handicap. "I've got bad eyes, sure, but there's nothing wrong with my heart or my lungs or my legs." He concluded he was meant to be an inspiration to others "with a handicap."

Thus began a new chapter in George Mendoza's life. He joined the track team at New Mexico State University, entered marathons, and, in 1980, ran in the International Olympiad for the Physically Handicapped in the Netherlands.

Today, Mendoza has perfected another hidden talent: he is an exceptional artist and his one-man shows are continual reminders that having a handicap does not diminish the individual's abilities in other areas. This biography of the man who refuses to "be handicapped" will be an inspiration to all who read it.”

According to the book description of The Senator and the Sin Eater, “Seneca Falls, West Virginia, is a picturesque town. Tucked between the foothills of the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains, it lives in the shadow of the Dunning and Munroe families, mining moguls who have competed for coal in the region for generations. It is a place Joshua Chac�n would rather forget. The scorned biracial stepson of the Dunning dynasty, Chac�n has acquired a national reputation and a Pulitzer Prize for his books revealing political skullduggery. Drawn back to the hometown he abandoned by news of the mysterious murder of his half brother, Senator Stewart Dunning, Josh soon becomes entangled in a murder plot thick with the power politics of the ruling families of West Virginia's mining country.”

Publisher’s Weekly said of One Last Time, “David Baca, a 15-year-old Native American, lives with his family on a reservation in New Mexico. While enduring yet another racial taunt by a bullying schoolmate, he appreciates the bravery of Steven Callister, a Caucasian who defends him. It's the beginning of a close friendship between the two--a connection that is both tested and strengthened by their cultural differences. But after Steven is thrown from a stallion and sustains serious injuries, David faces the challenge of helping his friend overcome a resultant fear of horseback riding. Based on an actual event, Buchanan's ( One Shining Season ) story is a moving coming-of-age piece that incorporates suspense and adventure--the friends stalk a ferocious bull menacing the area--and remains refreshingly unpredictable throughout. Though some terms--mesa, arroyo--may be unfamiliar, an excursion to this land and its people is enlightening and rewarding.”

According to the book description of Present Danger: A Novel, “Air Force electronics expert Major Jonathan War is suddenly removed from a high-level project and ordered to help investigate the circumstances surrounding the mysterious crash of a top-secret experimental aircraft, the XR-2100. Leading the inquest are General Lou Burnside and Colonel Robert MacWatt; they had first met during the Korean War, when Burnside had unwittingly stolen the love of McWatt's life, now Burnside's wife. It turns out that the XR-2100 was deliberately crashed by its ace pilot, Peter Crowell, in order to call attention to its nefarious mission to sterilize a portion of South Africa's black population using Kronus, an Agent Orange-like chemical. Buchanan (A Shining Season writes at a smooth, fast clip, effectively blending an Air Force soap opera with a high-tech electronics suspense story.”

One reader of Present Danger: A Novel said, “William J. Buchanan writes impressively about racism, misuse of political power, and the white supremacy bigots who seek and hold high offices, then use the office against US citizens and other citizens of the world. His title is honest, because he clearly indicates that much of the present day politicking involves people with special agenda.”